A PASSENGER vanished from an overnight ferry yesterday crossing from Liverpool to Belfast.

The 52-year-old man is believed to have gone overboard just off the coast of Northern Ireland sometime between 4-6am.

He boarded the Lagan Viking passenger ferry in Liverpool on Friday evening but was missing when the ship docked.

Belfast Coastguard co-ordinated a massive search operation, which involved military rescue boats, an Army helicopter and two ferries. It was later called off after searchers gave up hope of finding him alive.

The man, who has not been named, was travelling alone and was the only passenger who did not have a cabin on the overnight seven-hour crossing.

He is believed to be from Liverpool. A spokesman for Belfast Coastguard said: "The alarm was raised when the passengers were counted off the boat and one was missing.

"The conditions were flat calm. It is impossible to fall from the boat. It has high railings and the only way to fall is if someone has climbed up. "A very fit man would have possibly been able to survive in the water for up to four hours. It is highly unlikely this man would have survived for that length of time."

Belfast police are investigating.

8A MAN was found floating in the River Mersey near the Britannia pub at Otterspool in the early hours of Saturday morning.

An inquest was carried out yesterday and confirmed he had died from drowning.

Police have so far been unable to identify the body but do not believe the incident was suspicious.

He was wearing a blue tracksuit and trainers and was described as between 20 and 30 years old, bearded with short dark hair and an athletic build.

They are appealing for anyone with information about the man or who witnessed the incident to contact them on 0151-777 5114.

8TWO children from Chester were treated for sea sickness and the effects of cold after a speedboat trip went wrong off the North wales coast on Saturday.

The five-year-old boy and a girl of seven were taken ashore by Trearddur Bay lifeboat crew and wrapped in blankets.

The incident happened when two men - one the father - and the youngsters sailed in the small speedboat off Porth Dafarch, near Holyhead, on Saturday at 12.25pm.

Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station spokesman Alf Pritchard said the occupants put down an anchor but it failed to secure the vessel and it drifted to 10 metres from rocks in choppy waters. The lifeboat crew took the children aboard their vessel for treatment while towing the speedboat to safety.